Viewing Articles of Confederation (1781).

The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777; they were in force from March 1, 1781, when Maryland ratified them, to March 4, 1789, the last day of the Confederation and the first day of the government under the new Constitution.

While operating under the Articles, Congress enacted the Great Land Ordinances--the Ordinance of 1784, the Ordinance of 1785, sometimes called the Land Ordinance of 1785, and finally the Ordinance of 1787, also known as the Northwest Ordinance. These laws profoundly affected development of Minnesota, though it would not come into being as a separate territory until 1849.